Truck shell

ABSTRACT

A molded truck shell having side walls hinged along the top of the shell, allowing the entire side wall to pivot upwardly and outwardly, providing increased access to cargo stored in a truck bed. Additional lateral seams between the side wall and shell are located on the front and rear of the shell rather than on the side of the shell thereby further increasing the opening into the truck bed and creating a visually clean appearance. Water penetrating through the side wall hinge line is directed away from the interior of the truck bed by a moisture flange that conducts the water to the exterior of the truck.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/022,030, filed Dec. 14, 2001 issued Jul. 8, 2003 as U.S. Pat. No.6,588,819 which is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a shell accessory for a pick up truck. Morespecifically, a truck shell is disclosed that allows the entire side ofthe shell to be opened to allow greater truck bed access than haspreviously been available.

2. Description of the Related Art

Pick up trucks are a unique vehicle in the sense that they have an openbed in which all sorts of loads may be carried. The truck bed is definedas the cargo carrying area beginning immediately behind the truck cab,defined laterally by the side walls of the vehicle, and being bounded atthe rear by a tailgate. The advantage a truck provides over other typesof vehicles, in addition to sheer cargo volume, is the ability to easilyaccess the cargo being carried in the truck bed. The bed is generallyexposed, which allows access from all areas outside the truck by merelyreaching over the side of the truck and into the truck bed. However,unrestricted access to the truck bed becomes a drawback when carryingenvironmentally sensitive or valuable cargo.

Consequently, truck owners may desire to cover, and oftentimes protect,the cargo carried in a truck bed. A popular way of covering a truck bedis installing an after-market truck shell. A truck shell is a rigidcovering that encloses the truck bed from just behind the truck cab tothe tailgate, thus creating an enclosed space. Oftentimes, the truckshell is made to conform to the shape and aesthetics of the truck towhich it is attached.

One disadvantage of truck shells is that they limit access to thearticles that are stored in the bed of the truck. Generally, access tothe back of the truck is provided, in most truck shells, through a rearaccess door or opening which often comprises a transparent window thatis hinged at its top such that it can be opened and thus provides accessto the rear of the truck bed. The access is further enhanced when thetruck's tailgate is lowered. The rear access door of traditional shellscomprises the entire rear wall of the shell, thus allowing unrestrictedaccess through the back of the truck when both the rear access door andtailgate are opened.

However, access to cargo items not located immediately in the back ofthe truck is still limited. In particular, when the articles that areneeded to be accessed are positioned in the bed closer to the front endof the bed of the truck, the user must typically climb into the bed ofthe truck to retrieve the articles. This can, of course, be asignificant inconvenience.

To address this problem, many shells are equipped with side openingsthat allow access to the bed of the truck via the side. These sideopenings are often in the form of hinged windows that are formed in thecenter of the side walls. Typically, the hinged windows are mounted inthe center of the side walls so as to maintain the structural integrityof the side wall. However, windows that are formed in the side wall aretypically smaller in size than the side wall such that access to allparts of the bed is at least partially obstructed by the side walls ofthe shell.

Moreover, side windows in shells can also be subject to water intrusion.Oftentimes, water can intrude into the interior of the vehicle throughthe seams between the hinged window and the surrounding shell structure.Of course, inhibiting water from entering the interior of the bed is oneof the reasons pick up truck owners position shells on truck beds in thefirst place. To limit water intrusion, shell manufacturers often limitthe size of the windows to limit the length of the seams and alsogenerally position the hinges and seams on the side surface where wateris less likely to intrude through the shell into the interior of thetruck bed.

Hence, from the foregoing, there is an ongoing need for an improvedshell design that allows for better access to the bed of a pick up truckwhile still inhibiting water intrusion into the bed of the pick uptruck. To this end, there is provided an improved shell design thatallows for greater side access to the bed of the truck while stilllimiting water intrusion wherein the side access is provided in a lessobtrusive manner.

SUMMARY OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the doors are dimensioned to be at least as long as theside walls such that the interface between the doors and the side wallsis positioned adjacent to the front and rear lateral edges of the sidewalls. In another aspect, the hinged attachment of the doors to thetruck shell is formed adjacent the roof of the truck shell to furtherimprove access and inhibit water intrusion.

Thus, in one embodiment, a truck shell is provided that provides animproved shell design that allows increased truck bed access byproviding an openable door that covers a side wall of the shell. Theside wall has an opening formed therein that is exposed upon opening ofthe door, thereby granting access to the truck bed. In one embodiment, alip surrounds the periphery of the side wall opening and is contoured todirect water away from the opening and thus inhibits water from enteringinto the truck bed via the openings.

Thus, the truck shell of the present invention provides better access tothe interior of the bed as the access openings can be made larger due tothe larger size of the doors. Moreover, in one aspect, the positioningof the hinged interconnection between the door and the roof permitsimproved access and the use of lips extending outward from the openingsinhibits water entry. These and other objects and advantages will becomemore apparent from the following description taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present truckshell mounted to a pick up truck.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present truckshell mounted to a pick up truck with the side walls and rear wall open.

FIG. 3 is a side view of one embodiment of the present truck shell.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of one embodiment of the present truck shelldetailing the rear seam lines of the outer side walls.

FIG. 5 is a front view of one embodiment of the present truck shelldetailing the front seam lines of the outer side walls;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an outer side wall in its open positionand details the moisture flange and support struts.

FIG. 7 is a close-up perspective view of the support wall and moistureflange.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The truck shell is now described with respect to certain preferredembodiments and with reference to the attached drawings wherein likereference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout.

Referencing FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present truck shell is shownmounted to a bed of a pick up truck. Pick up trucks vary widely in sizeand shape between manufacturers, and between models of a singlemanufacturer. Consequently, each truck shell must be designed and moldedfor a specific model of truck. Hence, the description of the truck shellherein will be adaptable to all specific embodiments of truck shells.

The truck shell 100 is shown mounted to a pick up truck 102 in aconventional manner. The shell 100 may be mounted by bolts, clamps, orany other suitable mechanism as is generally known in the art. The shellis defined by opposing side walls 104, a rear wall 106, a top ceilingsurface or roof 108, and a front wall 206 (FIG. 2). The bottom of theshell 109 rests on the rails 111 of the truck bed sides 110 and createsa bottom seam 112 around the side walls 104 and front wall 206 of theshell 100. Generally, the top of the truck bed sides 110, or rails 111,are relatively flat which provide a mating surface for the bottom of theshell 109. Preferably, there is a compressible gasket (not shown)between the mating surfaces of the truck and shell to protect the finishof both surfaces as well as provide a seal to inhibit wind and waterfrom entering the truck bed.

The rear wall 106 is attached to the shell 100 via a pair of cooperatinghinges 116, as is known in the art, and is not supported by the tailgate 124, but rather, overlaps the tailgate 124 with a flexible rearsealing member 114 to allow water runoff to drain down the tailgate 124exterior to the truck bed. The hinge arrangement allows the rear wall106 to open upward and outward without interfering with the tailgate 124as will be shown and described in later detail.

The side walls 104 in this embodiment are preferably provided withgenerous side windows 122, which combine with the rear wall 106 to allowthe driver to view traffic out of all sides of the truck. These sidewindows 122 additionally allow viewing of the contents of the truck bedfrom outside the truck. The side walls 104 and rear wall 106 areopenable via a pull latch 118, 120, respectively. The pull latches 118,120 allow the shell to be opened for fast and easy access to cargostored in the truck bed as will be described below.

Referring generally to FIG. 2, the shell 100 is shown with both sidewalls 104 and the rear wall 106 in an open configuration. The side wallsare comprised of a support wall 202 and an outer side wall 204. Indescribing the embodiment pictured in FIG. 1, the general term “sidewall”, referenced by numeral 104, was used to refer to the combinationof the support wall 202 and outer side walls 204, which, in someembodiments, may be considered a door. The support walls 202 and outerside walls 204 will now be referenced individually hereinafter. Thesupport wall 202, in conjunction with the top ceiling 108 and the frontwall 206, defines a supporting frame giving the shell 100 its structuralsupport.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, each of the support walls 202includes a first and second vertical support section 802 a, 802 b thatare attached to the top ceiling 108 and are adapted to be positioned onthe rail 111 of the truck bed. The first and second vertical supportsections 802 a, 802 b are positioned at the lateral edges 803 a, 803 bof the support walls 202 adjacent the rear window 106 and front wall 206respectively. Each of the support walls 202 further include a lowerlateral section 804 and an upper lateral section 806 that interconnectsthe first and second vertical support sections 802 a, 802 b. The lowerlateral section 804 defines the bottom edge 109 that is positioned onthe rail 111 of the truck bed. The upper lateral section 806 is attachedto the ceiling section 108 and is generally perpendicular thereto so asto provide a mounting location for the hinges that attach the outer sidewall 204 to the support wall 202, as will be described below.

As is understood, the support sections, 802 a, 802 b, 804 and 806 arepreferably molded so as to be integrally attached to each other in thisembodiment. Collectively, they are contoured so as to define an accessopening 810 through which access to the interior of the truck bed can beobtained. As is illustrated, the opening 810 extends substantially alongthe length of the side walls 104 so as to permit access to substantiallyall of the length of the truck bed. Both the length and width of theopenings 810 can be increased as a result of the manner in which themovable side walls 204 are attached to the rest of the shell 100.

In particular, the outer side wall or door 204 includes a generallyplanar surface 711 that defines the window 122. Inwardly extendingflanges 212, 214 are positioned at the front and rear lateral edges ofthe generally planar surface 711. The inwardly extending flanges 212,214 extend in a direction that is perpendicular to the plane of thegenerally planar surface 711 in the manner shown in FIG. 6 and the outerside wall 204 is preferably dimensioned such that the inwardly extendingflanges 212, 214 are positioned adjacent the rear 106 and the front 206of the truck shell 100 when the outer side wall 204 is in the closedposition shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 further illustrates that that an upper inwardly extending lateralsection 714 is positioned on an upper edge 715 of the planar surface 711of the outer sidewall 204. A mounting surface 710 is preferablypositioned at the end of the inwardly extending section 714. As isillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the side walls 204 of the shell 100 aregenerally slanted outward so as to be farther apart at the bottom edgethan at the edge adjacent the ceiling section 108. To achieve a moreaerodynamic shape, the inwardly upper extending lateral section 714 ofthe movable walls 204 a, 204 b extends inward such that the mountingsurface 710 can be attached to a vertical mounting surface 712 of theceiling section 108 thereby positioning the seamed interface between theouter side wall 204 and the truck shell 100 adjacent the ceiling section108 rather than on the side wall 104.

The outer side wall 204 is hingedly attached at its upper edge by a pairof cooperating hinges 208 that define a side wall hinge line 210. Asshown in FIG. 2, and more specifically in FIG. 6, the outer side wall204 has a surface 710 that mates with a mounting surface 712 of theceiling 108, to form an interface therebetween when the outer side wall204 is in a closed configuration (FIG. 1). In the closed position asillustrated in FIG. 1, the mounting surface 710 of the outer side wall204 is aligned so as to be parallel with the vertical mounting surface712 of the ceiling section 108. Since the ceiling section 108 isgenerally vertically positioned, the interface 210 defined by the hingesis generally positioned on the ceiling surface 108 of the shell ratherthan on the side surface thereby reducing the visibility of theinterface.

In one embodiment, the hinge 208 is made up of two mounting portions 708rotatably connected by a pin (not shown), as is known in the art. Themounting halves are securely mounted, such as by screws, to the outerside wall mounting surface 710 and top ceiling mounting surface 712,thus allowing the outer side wall 204 to pivot about the hinge line 210created along the longitudinal axis of the hinges 208. In an alternateembodiment, a single hinge may be used to pivotally connect the outerside wall 204 and top ceiling 108. Alternatively, a plurality ofdiscrete hinges may pivotally connect the components.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, the front most part of theouter side wall 204 toward the truck cab includes an inward flange 212that is generally perpendicular to the main planar surface of the outerside wall 204 and is adjacent to the front wall 206 (See FIG. 5).Likewise, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear of the outer side wall 204includes an inward flange 214 that is generally perpendicular to theplanar direction of the outer side wall 204 and is adjacent to theclosed rear wall 106. In this way, the lateral seams of the outer sidewall 204 are located on the front and rear of the shell 100, and thus,are not visible from a side view of the shell 100. By extending theouter side wall or door 204 so as to extend beyond the support walls202, the length of the opening in the support wall 202 can be lengthenedthereby increasing the access to the interior of the pick up truck bed.

One motivation for installing a truck shell is to prevent water fromentering the truck bed and possibly damage articles carried therein.However, in creating a hinge connection between the support wall 202 andouter side wall 204 there will usually be a gap therebetween toaccommodate the hinge 208. The effect of allowing a gap, especially whenthe hinge line 210 is positioned adjacent the top ceiling 108, is thatwater may be free to drain through the gap separating the top ceiling108 and outer side wall 204, and possibly enter the cargo area of thepick up truck. The gap may be reduced by forming recesses in the outerside wall surface 710 and top ceiling mounting surface 712 dimensionedto receive the hinge mounting portions 708. Additionally, a barrier,such as a gasket or weather strip, may be positioned in the gap tofurther aid in inhibiting water penetration.

Nevertheless, water may still occasionally penetrate through the sidewall hinge line 210. For this reason, among others, a moisture flange216 is provided which creates a trough that directs any water away fromthe window cutout area and to the exterior of the truck bed.

As more particularly depicted in reference to FIG. 7, the moistureflange 216 is defined by the support wall 202 along one edge, and atrough which terminates at an opposing lip edge 805 located a distanceaway from the support wall 202. As is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, themoisture flange 216 includes a first and second side members 830 a, 830b that extend generally perpendicularly outward from the first andsecond support sections 802 a, 802 b. A top member 832 and a bottommember 834 extend between the first and second side members 830 a, 830 band extend generally perpendicularly outward from the upper and lowerlateral sections 806, 804 respectively. As illustrated, the side members830 a, 830 b are tapered such that at the upper end 832, the sidemembers 830 a, 830 b are wider. This results in the opening 810 beinggenerally planar and thereby accounts for the angle of the supportsections 802 a, 802 b.

The top member 832 of the moisture flange 216 is shaped such that it isconcave from the upper lateral support 806 to the lip edge 805, thusforming a trough shape. It is further shaped such that any collectedwater will egress out of either end of the moisture flange 216 ratherthan pool at the base of the concavity. The water egress is furtherencouraged by the rake angle at which the moisture flange 216 isoriented by virtue of being mounted to a pick up truck. A rake angle isformed by a vehicle's stance based on the vehicle's design. The rakeangle may be altered by after market tires, shocks, or “trick kits” forlifting or lowering the vehicle's ground clearance, among other things.The result is that the moisture flange will likely be oriented at aforward or rearward angle sufficient to direct the collected water outof the moisture flange 216 and down the support wall 202. Of course, anangle could also be designed into the moisture flange 216.

To further direct the egress of water away from the truck bed, thesupport wall 202 is configured such that it terminates at a lowerextremity that is substantially even with the outer edge of the truckbed as shown in FIG. 2, and the water is allowed to flow harmlessly tothe exterior of the truck bed. The overall result is a trough thatcaptures and directs the penetrating water flow down the support walland to the exterior of the truck bed, thus inhibiting water fromentering the truck bed and potentially damaging any articles carriedtherein.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a sealing member 218, such as a gasket, isattached to the lip 805 of the moisture flange 216. The sealing member218 may be attached to the moisture flange 216 by any known manner, forexample adhesive, heat bonding, friction, or the like. The outer sidewall 204 and moisture flange 216 are configured such that the outersidewall 204 contacts the sealing member 218 when closed to create asubstantially watertight seal. The outer side wall 204 is movablebetween an open and closed position. The range of motion in the opendirection of the outer side wall 204 is constrained by either the rangeof motion of the hinges, the maximum extended length of the supportstruts 222, or both. The outer side wall's 204 maximum range of motiontoward the closed position is reached when the outer side wall 204 isfully closed. The fully closed position occurs when the outer side wall204 is latched into position, as will be discussed in greater detailhereinafter. The moisture flange 216 is configured such that the sealingmember 218 contacts the outer side wall 204 when the outer side wall 204is fully closed. To create the substantially watertight seal, it ispreferable that the sealing member becomes slightly compressed uponengaging the outer side wall 204.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 6, a transparent window 122 may beintegrated into the outer side wall 204 to cooperate with the windowcutout area defined by the periphery of the moisture flange 216. Thewindow is preferably sized and positioned such that the window 122 atleast fills the window cutout area 810. In one embodiment, glass is usedfor the window 122.

To gain access to cargo in the truck bed, the outer side wall 204 isopened thus exposing the opening 810 and granting access to the truckbed. Once the outer side wall 204 is opened, it is preferable tomaintain it in this position so that a person may access the truck bedwithout having to hold the outer side wall 204 in position. Toaccomplish this, a support strut 222 may be utilized. One end of thesupport strut is preferably mounted to the inner side wall 202 in aconventional manner, such as by screws, bolts, or rivets, while theopposite end of the support strut 222 is fastened to the outer side wall204 in a similar manner. A support strut may comprise a cylindercontaining either gas, a spring, or both, and a piston slidable withinthe cylinder. As the outer side wall 204 is closed, the piston is forcedthrough the cylinder, thus compressing either the spring or gas. In thismanner, the strut 222 is biased in a fully extended position by a springforce, or by the compressive resistance of the contained fluid. Theouter side wall 204 is biased into an open position by the support strut222, as shown, such that when the pull latch 118 is actuated, the outerside wall 204 raises with little or no additional effort. Preferably,this biasing force is balanced against the weight of the outer side wall204 and does not require a great deal of effort to overcome tosubsequently lower and close the outer side wall 204.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, easy access to the truck bed is granted whenthe rear wall 106 and outer side walls 204 are open. Furthermore, thelocation of the side wall hinge line 210 allows the outer side wall 204to swing up and out of the way to reduce the risk of a head injury tosomeone accessing cargo in the truck bed.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a side view of the shell 100 is depicted anddescribed. The outer side wall 204 has a form that preferably continuesthe basic shape and flow of the truck to which it is to be attached.Because truck bed dimensions differ between models and manufacturers, aseparate shell must be made for each production truck model.Consequently, designing and producing a plurality of different truckshells presents economic difficulties. One way to efficiently producemany different shells is by making and using fiberglass molds. As isknown in the prior art, moldable attachments for trucks and automotivevehicles generally include a phenolic saturated fiberglass mat moldedinto a desired shape. In a secondary step, a cloth decorative outerlayer may be attached to the part to hide imperfections in the rawfiberglass. Alternatively, the fiberglass may be sanded and finished toeliminate surface imperfections. Once an initial mold is created, thisprocess can be repeated to economically create multiple parts.

In one embodiment, a single mold is used to create the front wall 206,top ceiling 108, and support walls 202 with the integrated moistureflange 216. Additional molds are used to create the left and right outerside walls 204, which are subsequently attached as previously described.After attachment of the outer side walls, the component parts areworked, such as by sanding and buffing, to create a continuous finalshape.

A pull latch 118 is attached to the outer side wall 204 to provide ahandle for actuating the latch mechanism mounted on the inside of theshell, which will be described in detail hereinafter. Notably, from thisvantage point, there are no visible seams where the outer side wall 204contacts the remainder of the shell 100. The seam lines are located onthe top, front, and rear surfaces, and thus, are not visible from thisside view. This allows the entire outer side wall 204 to be opened toallow maximum access to the truck bed.

Now referencing FIG. 6, a cutaway perspective view of one outer sidewall 204 is shown and described in conjunction with the latch mechanism.A brief reference to FIG. 3 shows that a pull latch comprises a handleportion 302 and a cylindrical portion 304. The cylindrical portion 304protrudes through the outer side wall 204 and biases the handle portion302 to the outer side wall 204. The two portions are configured suchthat pulling on the handle portion 302 also displaces the cylindricalportion 304. The cylindrical portion 304 further has a standard locktherein that, when locked, prevents movement of the attached handleportion 302. Now returning to FIG. 6, the cylindrical portion 304protrudes through the outer side wall 204 and an interior view of thecylindrical portion 304 shows that a pair of pull cables 702 have oneend attached to the cylindrical portion 304 while the opposite end ofthe pull cables 702 is attached to a receiving latch 704. As the outerside wall 204 closes, the receiving latch 704 engages the retainingmember 706, which causes the receiving latch 704 to pivot and closearound the retaining member 706 mounted to an interior portion of themoisture flange 216. The receiving latch 704 is configured to remainlocked onto the retaining member 706 until an outside force, such asfrom the pull cable 702, is applied. In this manner, the outer side wall204 is maintained in a closed position. As the pull latch 118 is pulledoutwardly, its outward displacement causes the pull cable 702 totension, thus translating a releasing force to the receiving latch 704.In one embodiment, the receiving latch 704 is only releasable by a forceexerted on it by the pull cable 702. Therefore, when the pull latch 118is locked into position such that it cannot be actuated from outside thevehicle, the outer side wall 204 cannot be opened from outside thevehicle. However, the cylindrical portion 304 of the pull latch 118 isnot constrained from rotational movement, and when the interior portionof the pull latch 118 is rotated from inside the vehicle, the pullcables 702 are tensioned which translates a releasing force to thereceiving latch 704. In this way, when locked, the outer side wall 204can only be opened from the inside. This preferred embodiment describesa pair of pull cables 702; however, a single pull cable can be attachedto both receiving latches 704, and pass through a hole formed in thepull latch 118 to achieve the same result.

The latching hardware, including the pull cables and receiving latch,can optionally be covered (as shown in FIG. 2 at 224), thus hiding thehardware on the inside of the vehicle, and protecting it from damagefrom shifting cargo.

Accordingly, it is now apparent that the truck shell 100 envisionedherein will permit increased access to the bed of a pick up truck byproviding openable side doors. More specifically, the entire side wallof the shell is openable to permit increased access. Additionally, amoisture flange is provided for maintaining a substantially water tightseal with the side door to inhibit water from entering the truck bed andpotentially damaging cargo carried therein.

Although the description above contains many specific examples, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope but as merely providingillustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments. Thus, thescope of the invention should be determined by the following claims,rather than by the examples given.

1. A shell for a motor vehicle, the shell being attachable to a chassisof the motor vehicle so as to, in combination therewith, define anenclosed cargo compartment wherein the shell comprises: at least oneside opening aligned generally with an exterior side surface of thevehicle; an outer side wall hinged generally aligned with an upper edgeof the exterior side surface and completely covering the at least oneside opening such that, in an open position, access is provided to thecargo compartment via the side opening; a rear opening; and an outerrear wall covering the rear opening such that, in an open position,access is also provided to the cargo compartment via the rear openingand wherein, in closed positions, the outer rear wall and outer sidewall substantially abut each other.
 2. The shell of claim 1, wherein theshell is removably attachable to the chassis.
 3. The shell of claim 1,wherein the outer side wall is at least partially transparent.
 4. Theshell of claim 1, further comprising a latch securing the outer sidewall in a closed position.
 5. The shell of claim 4, wherein the latch,in a locked position, locks the outer side wall in the closed positionfrom the outside the vehicle and is operable from inside the cargocompartment to unlock the outer side wall from the closed position. 6.The shell of claim 1, wherein the shell further comprises a moistureflange extending generally horizontally outwardly from the periphery ofthe at least one side opening wherein the moisture flange is configuredto direct incident water around the at least one side opening.
 7. Theshell of claim 6, further comprising a seal member attached to themoisture flange wherein, in the closed position, the seal memberresiliently compresses against the outer side wall so as to seal the atleast one side opening.
 8. The shell of claim 6, wherein the outer sidewall overlaps the moisture flange along at least upper and opposite sideportions thereof.
 9. The shell of claim 1, wherein the hinged connectionof the outer side wall is covered by the outer side wall in at least aclosed position.
 10. The shell of claim 1, wherein the abutment of theouter rear and side walls is positioned along a rear surface of theshell.
 11. The shell of claim 1, wherein the outer side wall comprises agenerally planar surface and inwardly extending flanges at front andrear edges thereof wherein, in a closed position, the planar surface isgenerally parallel with the opening and the flanges extend generallyperpendicular thereto.
 12. A shell for a motor vehicle, the shell beingattachable to a chassis of the motor vehicle so as to, in combinationtherewith, define an enclosed cargo compartment wherein the shellcomprises: at least one side opening; a moisture flange extendinggenerally in horizontal planes outwardly from the periphery of the atleast one side opening at top and bottom portions of the flange andgenerally in vertical planes at side portions of the flange wherein themoisture flange is configured to direct incident water around the atleast one side opening; a movable outer side wall covering the at leastone side opening such that, in an open position, access is provided tothe cargo compartment via the side opening; a rear opening; and an outerrear wall covering the rear opening such that, in an open position,access is provided to the cargo compartment via the rear openingwherein, in closed positions, the outer rear wall and outer side wallsubstantially abut each other.
 13. The shell of claim 12, wherein theshell is removably attachable to the chassis.
 14. The shell of claim 12,wherein the outer side wall is at least partially transparent.
 15. Theshell of claim 12, further comprising a latch securing the outer sidewall in a closed position.
 16. The shell of claim 15, wherein the latch,in a locked position, locks the outer side wall in the closed positionfrom the outside the vehicle and is operable from inside the cargocompartment to unlock the outer side wall from the closed position. 17.The shell of claim 12, further comprising a seal member attached to themoisture flange wherein, in the closed position, the seal memberresiliently compresses against the outer side wall so as to seal the atleast one side opening.
 18. The shell of claim 12, wherein the outerside wall overlaps the moisture flange along at least upper and oppositeside portions thereof.
 19. The shell of claim 12, wherein the outer sidewall is pivotably movable.
 20. The shell of claim 12, wherein theabutment of the outer rear and side walls is positioned along a rearsurface of the shell.
 21. The shell of claim 12, wherein the outer sidewall comprises a generally planar surface and inwardly extending flangesat front and rear edges thereof wherein, in a closed position, theplanar surface is generally parallel with the opening and the flangesextend generally perpendicular thereto.
 22. A motor vehicle comprising:a chassis defining a passenger compartment; and a shell attached to thechassis so as to define an enclosed cargo compartment wherein the shellcomprises: at least one side opening aligned generally with an exteriorside surface of the vehicle; an outer side wall hinged generally alignedwith an upper edge of the exterior side surface and completely coveringthe at least one side opening such that, in an open position, access isprovided to the cargo compartment via the side opening; a rear opening;and an outer rear wall covering the rear opening such that, in an openposition, access is provided to the cargo compartment via the rearopening and wherein, in closed positions, the outer rear wall and outerside wall substantially abut each other.
 23. The motor vehicle of claim22, wherein the shell is removably attached to the chassis.
 24. Themotor vehicle of claim 22, wherein the outer side wall is at leastpartially transparent.
 25. The motor vehicle of claim 22, furthercomprising a latch securing the outer side wall in a closed position.26. The motor vehicle of claim 25, wherein the latch, in a lockedposition, locks the outer side wall in the closed position from theoutside the vehicle and is operable from inside the cargo compartment tounlock the outer side wall from the closed position.
 27. The motorvehicle of claim 22, wherein the shell further comprises a moistureflange extending generally horizontally outwardly from the periphery ofthe at least, one side opening wherein the moisture flange is configuredto direct incident water around the at least one side opening.
 28. Themotor vehicle of claim 27, further comprising a seal member attached tothe moisture flange wherein, in the closed position, the seal memberresiliently compresses against the outer side wall so as to seal the atleast one side opening.
 29. The motor vehicle of claim 27, wherein theouter side wall overlaps the moisture flange along at least upper andopposite side portions thereof.
 30. The motor vehicle of claim 22,wherein the hinged connection of the outer side wall is covered by theouter side wall in at least a closed position.
 31. The motor vehicle ofclaim 22, wherein the abutment of the outer rear and side walls ispositioned along a rear surface of the shell.
 32. The motor vehicle ofclaim 22, wherein the outer side wall comprises a generally planarsurface and inwardly extending flanges at front and rear edges thereofwherein, in a closed position, the planar surface is generally parallelwith the opening and the flanges extend generally perpendicular thereto.